Battling for Allegiance, cont.
Aaron took a deep breath. "Above anything else about Jesus, the resurrection proves that he is the promised Messiah of God who shed his blood for the remission of sins and purchased our eternal salvation. Everything is based on the resurrection; which, by the way, is the context of Paul’s words in the section you just read from first Corinthians."
"Okay." Walker put up his hand. "I know how important the resurrection is to faith, but you haven’t answered my question. Why do you believe it?" pressed the professor.
"Well, I guess the simple answer is, because the Bible tells me so."
Professor Walker chuckled. "Ah yes. I recall the song from Sunday school. The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the Book for me," he sang in jest, waving his index finger in the air.
Aaron did not like Walker’s mockery. With a blank look he said, "Yeah, something like that." His tone was flat.
"Sorry. I’m picking on you." Professor Walker took a sip of his coffee with a frown. "But listen; have you actually read what the Bible says about what happened on Easter morning?"
"Sure. I’ve read it many times," Aaron answered. "The Easter story is a simple one. In essence the Bible tells us that the women went to the tomb at sunrise and found the stone rolled away. They went inside and saw angels who told them that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Then they went and told the disciples. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning and later to the disciples in a closed room."
"Right. That’s the standard storyline. But how about we look at the details of the story from the Bible itself? Fair enough?"
Walker picked up Aaron’s Bible from the table and opened it again. The young man perked up seeing the professor flipping through the pages. Aaron knew that the Bible had the answers he needed. Maybe this won’t be so bad, he thought. Wouldn’t it be something if Walker became a Christian?
"Here we go," Walker said. "Matthew 28, starting with verse one." Having found the verses he wanted, the professor underlined the words with his extended index finger as he read each word. "Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men."
Walker glanced over at his unwitting victim. Aaron looked eager enough, even a bit hopeful. That’s good, Walker thought. He looked back at the page. "Then in verses five through seven it reads: ‘The angel said to the women, Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell his disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.’"
Aaron was smiling now. It couldn’t be better if he had picked out the verses himself. "Exactly as I said, the women went to the tomb at dawn and heard about the resurrection of Jesus from the angel."
"But wait." Walker held up his hand. "Where is the angel?"
"What do you mean?"
"His position," said Walker, emphatically. "According to what we just read from Matthew’s gospel, where is the angel positioned when he told the women that Christ was risen?"
"Sitting on the rock I guess." Aaron frowned. "What does it matter?"
"Oh, it matters a great deal," answered Walker sternly. "Think about what we’re reading here." He pointed to the open Bible on the table with both hands. "The Bible is the best evidence we have by which to determine the truthfulness of the claim that Jesus literally rose from the dead. We’ve already agreed that the resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith, and admittedly Christianity has had a huge impact on the cultures of the world. Given its great importance, it’s reasonable then that we should be able to expect the various stories in the Gospels to agree and make sense. Seeing this is supposed to be God’s own word, we should be able to hold it to at least as high a standard as we would the testimony of witnesses in an important court trial. Isn’t that right?"
Aaron nodded, "Well—sure." Walker was speaking a bit louder and was more animated. Aaron looked around. There were plenty of people nearby, but no one seemed to paying them any attention.
"You told me a moment ago," said Walker, pressing his point, "that the women went to the tomb at sunrise on Easter morning, found the stone rolled away, went inside, and saw angels. Right?
"Well, yes," Aaron admitted.
"And you’re almost right if you’re reading Mark, his young man in white is sitting inside the tomb on the right side, but if we’re to believe Matthew, which we just read, the angel is sitting on the rock outside the tomb that he had just removed from the opening."
Aaron could see Walker’s point, but wasn’t troubled by it. "It seems you’re being nitpicky," the young student exclaimed.
"Maybe." Walker waved a no with his index finger. "But that’s only the beginning of the problem here. It gets worse. In John’s gospel, the story is noticeably different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It says Mary Magdalene bent down and looked into the tomb and saw two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, while in Luke’s gospel it says two men appeared, and they were standing near the women inside the tomb. If I grant you that the young men who appeared were really angels, it still doesn’t make sense why the Evangelists didn’t just call them angels. But even if I concede on that point, you still have four different stories about the angels at the tomb on Easter morning. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to say with any certainty how many angels there were, where they were positioned, or even what they said. Were they inside or outside, sitting or standing? Were they young men or angels and was there one of them or two? We have four Easter accounts, but when they’re compared, for all practical purposes they seem to be four different stories. Being so blatantly contradictory, they can’t all be right. So, can you tell me which one is true?"
"I’m—uh—not sure," Aaron drawled.
A veteran of many debates and student of logic for many years, Walker enjoyed winning. Not only did he relish his superior position over the young man, he also felt he was doing a good thing. Before him was a bright mind; bound to a constraining worldview. Maybe he could liberate him. He had it coming too. After all, the kid was inviting trouble by reading the Bible in public right next to a college campus. Walker had studied the resurrection accounts well. He knew he could point out over a dozen discrepancies. But he’d already given the young man enough to rattle him pretty hard. No need to overwhelm him. And, unless he dropped his class to avoid him after this, what he started today, he’d have opportunity to continue.
The professor could tell Aaron was unsettled. "Look, I know this has to be hard for you. I understand. I grew up going to church and used to believe all this too. It’s a painful process, but you might as well know the truth. It really will set you free."
Walker smiled, pleased with the way he’d quoted Jesus. He went on, "I’ve only scratched the surface. There are other problems to investigate. Like, who the women were that went to the sepulcher, what the angels said, when and where the disciples first saw Jesus, even when and where the ascension took place. The details matter, but the details don’t match up. They’re completely different in each of the Gospels, patently contradictory. Even the world’s top Christian scholars admit the resurrection stories are impossible to reconcile."
He closed Aaron’s Bible and handed it back to him. "Here’s the point." Walker paused and leaned forward putting his hands on the table. He set up for the kill shot, narrowing his eyes. He lowered his voice and spoke slowly. "If the gospel writers could not get the most important story in the Bible straight, why should anybody, especially people who can think for themselves, believe anything they wrote? Judging from what the Bible says, the story of the resurrection has the look and feel of mythology. Not real history. That’s a serious problem. Especially for those who make the Christian faith the basis of everything in their lives." Walker frowned. "Are you certain that’s really what you want to do?"
Aaron had removed the plastic lid from his latte while Walker was talking and was tearing at its edges. A moment passed before he said anything. He didn’t look up. "I’ve never heard of this before or studied it, but I’d like to think that there are explanations. I’ll ask my pastor about it." Aaron’s voice had gone flat.
Walker had aimed at Aaron’s heart and he could see he’d hit the bull’s-eye. He spoke softly. "Maybe your pastor has never been confronted with the facts. Many Christians haven’t, but there are a growing number of ex-Christians who are doing what we can to change that. I’m a member of a couple of Bible societies and familiar with this problem, and many others. I would be happy to meet with you and your pastor if it would help. Have your pastor call my office, but maybe he’d rather not. They say faith is blind, and some people are comfortable with that." Walker looked off toward the campus, "I’d rather live in the real world."
Feeling he’d done enough, Walker stretched forth his hand. Aaron felt obligated to shake it, so he did. He knew he should say something too, but he didn’t want to say thanks. Feeling awkward and not sure what else to say, he mumbled it anyway.
Walker stood and took a slight bow. "You’re welcome. Big week coming up for both of us, but after that I’d like to follow up with you on this. Would that be okay?"
Feeling numb, Aaron nodded.
"You know my hours, drop by my office anytime. And enjoy that latté before it gets any colder."
After Walker left, Aaron looked around. He quickly tucked his Bible back into his backpack. He zipped it closed.
A group of girls walked by and one with green eyes and freckles across her nose looked at Aaron and smiled. He saw her glance at his lap. She turned and whispered to a friend. She too looked, and they giggled. Aaron looked down. His lap was covered with little white pieces of what was the lid to his coffee. He quickly brushed them off and stood.
He walked over to the trashcan. Though he’d barely touched his $4.00 latté, he threw it in. Then headed for his dorm room.
As he walked, a question pursued him like a dog nipping at his heels. Could the Bible really be a lie after all? He thought about the price he’d paid for his faith, the years of teasing in High School, the parties he had not been invited to … the fun he’d missed out on. All that for what?
He saw a discarded pop can in his path. Normally he’d have picked it up and carried it to a trashcan—he kicked it and sent it flying.
He questioned whether he wanted to try to maintain his faith when the whole world seemed to be encouraging him to taste what it offered.
Other questions rattled around in his mind. Why should I put up with so much to live as a Christian, especially if it’s true that the resurrection stories are as contradictory as Walker says they are?
Is that the best God could do?
If you're a Bible literate atheist, you're likely thrilled with the story thus far. These kinds of exchanges concerning the Bible and Christianity are taking place often, especially in and around college campuses. But, there are reasonable answers to the most difficult lines of attack against the Bible. Who knows, Aaron might end up with a copy of The Easter Answer. With that, he'd have what he needed to hand Mr. Walker his hat on this matter. Stay tuned ... this story isn't over.
Previous page: Battling for Allegiance